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Animated Atrocities 91/Transcript
Disclaimer: Angry mode. This episode poorly and insultingly portrays the issues of abusive relationships and domestic violence. Mr. Enter: I decided to make a disclaimer to say that this is going to be a very angry review. There is no way I can deal with this particular episode calmly. In fact, I dare even say that I shouldn't deal with this episode calmly. It portrays very serious issues extremely poorly, beyond any excuse that incompetence can come up with. I'll end this disclaimer by saying that the best argument for something is a poor one attempting to go against it. from... It seems like just yesterday that I was reviewing "Seahorse Seashell Party" and its terrible message that it was trying to spread. By far, the most common defense that I've gotten for that (and this show) is that Family Guy is a comedy, and everything it does should be taken as a joke. No. Family Guy does not get that excuse. ...and... Whether it's forced melodrama like "Life of Brian" and "Quagmire's Mom", trying to delve into characters that are nothing more than jokes like in "Brian and Stewie", or piss-poor messages about real-world issues like this episode. No. If everything that Family Guy does is a joke, then this one is 22 minutes of a woman being beaten around! If that's a joke, then nobody deserves to defend this show! I'm going to give this episode the benefit of the doubt and take it at face value as a PSA about domestic violence. If this episode is just comedy, as Family Guy's defender keep claiming it is, then it is far, far worse. And on that note, this episode is one of the most disgusting, reprehensible pieces of crap that I've ever seen for all of the wrong reasons. But despite what I just said, I actually don't blame people for thinking that this episode of Family Guy (or any other episode from it) is supposed to be a joke. It's a problem with the format. A couple years ago, Channel Awesome did a series of videos to celebrate their anniversary. The first four of them were comedies; and when the fifth one came out for the first five minutes, it seemed like a joke, but it was actually a serious documentary about a serious issue. Because it took some time to realize it was actually being serious, some of it's message was lost. And that's one of the two reasons that I don't think Family guy should EVER delve into serious topics. The other reason? THEY ARE FUCKING AWFUL AT IT! Every time they have tried to be serious since "Not All Dogs Go to Heaven", it has been an abject failure. If Family Guy only stuck to comedy like it's defenders keep saying it does, I'd leave it alone. That's why I leave Mr. Pickles and Adult Party Cartoon alone, even though, at least at this point in time, they're still worse than Family Guy. And on that note, I should bring up the fact that this episode was aired right after "Seahorse Seashell Party". A joke or not, that episode told people to stay in abusive relationships for their abuser's benefit. This episode seems like a dodge that flat out failed and it just seems the tiniest bit hypocritical. And here's the thing, I only have two options here: I can either take both episodes dead serious or I can take them both as a joke. You can only be one type of show. And Family Guy is a comedy, they both deal with their issues in the exact same way. Family Guy should've never attempted this. And that's beyond the fact that this is one of the worst PSA's that I've ever seen in my life. Give Family Guy credit for trying? No. That's like giving a chef credit for getting out of a seat in a commercial airliner, grabbing controls, and crashing a plane because he wanted to be an air hero. No one was asking Family Guy to do this. No one wanted Family Guy to do this. Everyone, but the staff apparently, knew that this was beyond Family Guy's range. No one praises civilians for jumping over police lines to stop a hostage situation. Before I go completely spastic, let's just begin. Considering I want to get to the point here...filler, filler, filler, Quagmire nearly kills himself with a erotic self-asphyxiation, more filler, and then we learn that Quagmire's sister is coming with her boyfriend, who badly abuses her, because they're okay with just bringing that up in a conversation, unlike, you know, real people. Lois: She's still with him? Isn't he the one that beats her? Peter: Yeah, but she's gotten a lot better. Mr. Enter: A lot better? At what? Taking punches? Oh wait, she's gotten better after the beatings her abusive boyfriend gave her. I get it now! ...that's horrible! Speaking of which, Family Guy has portrayed domestic abuse and violence as comedy for... pretty much its entire run. They really can't change their attitude towards something ten seasons in -- fifteen years in! We get shown Jeff yelling at Brenda, and they try to tell jokes... which aren't really funny, because this isn't a funny subject matter. Dr. Hartman: You know, we're all lucky to be alive on such a beautiful day. In fact nurse, all surgeries are outside today! Mr. Enter: You already did that joke before. And it was funnier back then because we actually saw the surgery outside. You didn't just hint at the bad idea. Brenda wakes Quagmire up with a song that's... probably a reference that I don't get. Glenn: What happened? Brenda: Glenn! Thank god you're alright! Jeff: Hey, you touching my girl?! Peter: Relax, Jeff, that's her brother. Jeff: Yeah, that's how it starts! Mr. Enter: And this is why a comedy should not tackle real world issues like this. You see, when Family Guy does anything, they have to make it as over the top as possible. And because they're doing that here, this plays out like an 80's or 90's drug PSA. And we all know how many of them actually ended up working! In order to try to bring awareness to this issue, they show it to an unrealistic amount. Which makes the issue seem very one-note. "Who cares if your abusive spouse is just gas-lighting you, as long as they're not beating the shit out of you, then you're fine! The relationship is totally healthy!" All domestic abuse is bad! Not all domestic abuse gets to this level! And when you color people's perceptions that this is what domestic abuse is, people who don't quite hit that mark tend to be ignored. And when you pull that mark beyond 9/10s of reality, you're short-changing a LOT of people in situations that's killing them a lot more slower and a lot more painfully! It leads to this little bend of logic: "I'm allowed to do this to you, because i'm not hitting you like Jeff in this episode. And therefore, I am not abusive!" And you wanna know the real kicker here? If all abusers are like this episode portrays them as, then that's the logic that they'd actually FOLLOW! Then again, abusive assholes generally don't care that they're abusive assholes. I don't think that that's who this episode is trying to speak to. Let's talk about Brenda! There is not a single way you could portray a victim of domestic abuse in a more degrading way. Let's start with the obvious: they display Brenda as being psychologically damaged, and they make it sort of clear that Jeff was the one who damaged her. Okay...what did she ever see in Jeff in the first place? Most adults don't just magically appear in domestic abuse situations. And it's never really explained why Brenda stays with Jeff at all! Lois: You know, you don't have to stay with a man who treats you that way! Brenda: Oh, Jeff's sweet. You don't see how soft and gentle he hits me when we're alone. Mr. Enter: Yes, she is constantly making excuses for Jeff, but she never actually comes up with the real reason that she's staying there. These reasons could be "and he needs me to survive", "I need him to survive", "he's threatened to kill me if I say anything or try to leave". In fact, if you watch the episode with the interpretation of Jeff having threatened to kill Brenda if she implies anything bad about him at all, or tries to leave, which ISN'T out of the realm of plausibility, then you can see what I see in this episode. We learn nothing about Brenda, or Jeff for that matter, that doesn't directly relate to the abuse situation, or a complete joke. But here's what really, really gets me. Because Family Guy loves to be over the top, Brenda doesn't seem blind to Jeff's abuse. She seems blind to reality! More or less, they portray her as an idiot, who just chooses to stay in this abusive relationship. A lot of the abuse is played for comedy, which muddies the message. I've said it once, and I'll say it again: keep your comedy and keep your message apart. Especially when you have such clip of "Seahorse Seashell Party" low skill that you come up with things like "Seahorse Seashell Party", "Fresh Heir", or "Not All Dogs Go to Heaven". 'Why doesn't she just leave?' is a valid question. Family Guy doesn't want to bring up an answer to the question they raise. There are two things that are portrayed here that very rarely coincide. The worst abuse possible, and an easy way out. In situations this bad, there is rarely something that that person can do, except try to not get killed! Also, most abuse happens behind closed doors. And unfortunately, as much as I wish it were the case, not all abusers are idiots! They can be very smart psychopaths, and they have a knack for manipulating other people! What I'm saying is that no one casually beats their spouse in public. They wait until they get home, where no one else can see their behavior! Most people actually seem to understand this! For the love of god, the episode is called "Screams in Silence..."! That phrase generally means that others can't see or hear the torment that's going on! Also, I already said this, so I won't go on too long about it: being serious doesn't really work when every five minutes, you pop up with something random shouting, "HA HA! This is pointless." No part of this issue is conveyed correctly. Peter: Joe, can't you-can't you just arrest the guy? Joe: I can't arrest Jeff unless Brenda files a formal complaint with the police. Glenn: She won't go to the police, she's afraid of what Jeff will do. Mr. Enter: Hey guys, you know what the definition of irony is? Well, here's the funny thing: what Joe just said is not true, for exactly the scenario that they're conveying! If someone is getting their ass beaten in plain view of everyone, then yes, the police have the right and the duty to step in! I'd understand if the scenario was happening behind closed doors - like most abusive scenarios, they might have a point, because in that situation, it actually is difficult, but not impossible. Quagmire has to have filled his house with sex tape cameras! Just bring in footage of Brenda getting beat up! By telling people that the law is useless in this scenario, you're telling people not to go to authorities and take the law into their own hands, because that is the only option here! In fact, sometimes the abuse victim is the only one who WON'T go to the police for an issue like this, because the abuser holds such power over them. And once again, might have threatened to kill them! The law knows this. Yes, the law is not always perfect, but it is not this incredibly stupid! If it was, we'd have dead bodies lining the fucking street! Now they set up an intervention...for Brenda. They're setting up an intervention for the victim and not the instigator. That's like staging an intervention for the family member of a drug addict! But beyond that, I'm warning you guys right now, that this is, by far, one of the most disgusting things that I have ever seen. It brings up such visceral and real disgust with me that I cannot take this calmly. Besides another couple jokes that don't go anywhere, the only real thing that happens here is that Quagmire reads something to Brenda. Now I want you to keep my little interpretation in mind: if Brenda leaves Jeff, or says anything bad about him, he will kill her! Glenn: No. Brenda, you're not fine. Okay? Please, I'd like to say something if I may. throat Brenda, the fact that you are being abused has affected my life in the following ways: The sister that I knew and loved growing up...no longer exists. The person I see before me now...is just a punching bag. And I call you "person" and not "woman" because a woman is a strong, beautiful, vibrant creature. A woman embraces life. A woman makes choices to make her life better. Sadly, the fact that you are with Jeff, proves to me that you have made a choice...to make your life worse. I-I want the girl I grew up with back. I want...I want my sister back. Mr. Enter: Okay, all bets are off. Where do I even begin? Let's start with you, Quagmire. How this has affected your life. You're a convicted sex offender Quagmire, the guy who killed the Simpsons and raped Marge. constantly treating women like objects, you are not one to talk. No one gives a goddamn shit what you think, or how this affects YOU. But let's go on a little bit further. This entire episode conveys Brenda as incredibly damaged by Jeff's abuse, so saying that this is her fault is one of the most flagrant examples of victim blaming that I've ever seen! And yes, this is portrayed as a good and heartwarming moment. And if you're supposed to take this episode seriously, this is how you're supposed to treat your VICTIMS seriously. It implies that staying in an abusive relationship is the abused victim's choice. It's not true here, and for the vast majority of abuse cases, it's not true. And weird how this goes exactly against the previous episode's attitude that it's a good thing to stay in abusive relationships, and you are heroic for doing it. This episode has spent HALF of its entire run-time thoroughly convincing me that being in this relationship is not Brenda's choice! Because of Jeff's abuse, she does not have the psychological capacity to leave him anymore. While that does bring me to my final point, I want to stick it to Quagmire's speech one more time. According to Quagmire, you don't deserve to be called a woman if you're a victim of domestic abuse. You're below being a woman, you don't even deserve to be called a woman. FUCK OFF, Family Guy! Fuck off and die! The people who wrote that can't...can't have thought that was a good idea. I hope to God that no one really thinks that about abuse victims. That is fucking horrifying! The only other option is that they don't fucking care about the issue they're portraying here. How much could the staff and writers really care about domestic violence if they portray the issue this poorly?! This is fucking disgraceful! words "If she thinks being punched in the face by someone isn't wrong, then what changes if Jeff isn't around?" briefly appear at the bottom of the screen. Now here's one of the bigger mis-steps of the episode: when Jeff is gone, Brenda is in such a psychological state, that she's just going to meet another Jeff! It happens in real life! People who have been in abusive relationships without some kind of counseling or therapy often end up in MORE abusive relationships! So what's the way to solve Brenda's problem, according to Family Guy? Well, let's just straight up kill Jeff. After all, Brenda will instantly become that vague little girl Quagmire grew up with! And because the law is useless, the only way to solve the situation is to kill the abuser. Let's start off with the fact that Brenda's getting married to Jeff because he got her pregnant. This is...never really addressed beyond just bringing it up. Probably to force a climax. Glenn: The three of us. We go over there, and we do what's right. We kill the bastard! Joe: Whoa, whoa, Quagmire! You know I could arrest you just for saying that. Mr. Enter: "No, no, Joe. It's okay. The guy's my boyfriend. I'm allowed to beat him up if he doesn't complain!" Family Guy, you don't have the right to bring up any aspect of the law in this episode! But that line there is just...confusing. Are they really saying that a law won't do this, and then it will do this? When virtually nothing else has changed? Y-you had to proofread this, at least once! Joe: It doesn't matter what he's done, it's still murder! Glenn: No, Joe! It does matter what he's done! These kinds of guys don't change! You think they ever suddenly wake up and realize the error of their ways and clean up their act? No! They just keep ruining everyone's lives, and the world is better off without them! Mr. Enter: Well, maybe psychos don't, but I'd really rather not have anyone preaching vigilante justice, unless you live in a place like Gotham City! Not in Rhode Island, when it was in a castle-doction state, meaning that you could kill someone in your home if you were protecting yourself or your family! Not all abusers are psychopaths. Some of them have legitimately never been told right from wrong, and those people CAN CHANGE! You know, if you give THEM the fucking intervention! Is Jeff a psychopath? I don't know! They tell us so little about Jeff or Brenda that it's hard to get a feel for any of them! We know literally nothing about either of them that goes beyond the abuse, and that's not realistic! And there was plenty of time to tell us something about either of them. Brenda at the restaurant, and Jeff at the campsite. In the woods, things go bad. Quagmire gets strangled, domestic abuse is bad but choking yourself to get off is good. And killing the abuser is the only way to solve this situation, apparently. They leave Brenda with a note that calls her garbage, and Jeff's baby. And then the episode just ends, for Brenda to never appear in the show again. She's still incredibly psychologically damaged from the abuse, and she's bound to lean on another Jeff, but that's okay because Jeff is dead! For christ's sake, lifetime movies portray domestic abuse better, because when the woman invariably kills the abuser herself, words "in other words, despite their over-the-top portrayal of Domestic Abuse, at least the problem is solved by the end" briefly appear at the bottom of the screen. it's showing that she rose up above her aggressor! What more can I say? This episode is thoroughly disgusting in the worst way possible! In its pathetic attempt to win an Emmy, they treated a very serious issue so poorly, that i'm willing to bet that it's done more to hurt the cause of domestic abuse awareness than to help it. Misinformation is far, far worse than no information at all. This episode portrays abuse victims as idiots, who choose to stay in relationships they have no control over! 60% of domestic abuse takes place at the home, and it is the third leading cause of homelessness in the United States! Most people in abusive situations can either stay there, be killed, or be homeless! Sources are in the description, and I hope to never have to get this serious EVER AGAIN. Family Guy is owned by Fox Credits song: "Knights of the Temple - I See the Light" I... don't really know what to say here. I mean, I could describe some of the realities of domestic abuse, but I don't have enough time and it's very hard to cut through this kind of sensationalism to get to the truth. I truly believe that this is the worst episode of Family Guy and it will remain that way for some time to come. I'd apologize for getting angry, but that would require me to regret my actions. When dealing with serious real-world issues there is no excuse for this level of incompetence. Category:Animated Atrocities Category:Season 4 Category:Transcripts